New Delhi

Thousands of private workers involved in loading and unloading parcels at railway stations across India are still waiting for access to medical facilities, more than two years after the Central chief labour commissioner urged the Railway Board to address the issue.

Under the Railways’ parcel service system, express and mail trains carry goods and commercial consignments through two seating-cum-luggage rake (SLR) coaches attached to trains.

In September 2023, the office of the chief labour commissioner wrote to the chairman of the Railway Board requesting medical assistance for parcel loading and unloading workers. The letter also urged the Railways to consider the demand raised by the Indian Railway Loading/Unloading Workers Union for treatment facilities at railway hospitals, especially for workers who often suffer injuries while performing physically demanding tasks.

The commissioner’s office reportedly sent another reminder in January 2024, reiterating the request on humanitarian grounds.

However, union representatives claim that despite repeated appeals, the Railway Board has neither responded to the labour commissioner’s communication nor offered any assurance to the workers.

According to the union, the workers operate on railway premises nationwide but are not directly employed or paid by the Railways. Instead, they receive wages from private individuals and companies using railway parcel services to transport goods.

Rajkumar Indoria, president of the workers’ union, said nearly 5,000 labourers are engaged in parcel loading and unloading work in Delhi alone, including more than 800 workers at the New Delhi Railway Station.

“We have been doing this work for around four decades, but the Railway Board has done nothing for our welfare,” Indoria said.

He explained that workers are paid directly by customers sending parcels through railway services and continue to work without even basic facilities on railway premises.

“There is not even a single water cooler near the parcel section at the New Delhi railway station,” he alleged.

Union office-bearers said the work involves carrying heavy loads either manually or using carts, making injuries and physical strain a regular occurrence due to the hazardous nature of the job.

“Workers who get injured have to bear their own medical expenses. On top of that, they lose daily wages during recovery,” Indoria said.

He added that the union had demanded free medical treatment for workers at railway hospitals across the country, but the Railway Board had not acted on the request.

“We approached the chief labour commissioner and informed him about our situation. He agreed that workers should at least receive medical facilities and wrote to the Railway Board chairman, but nothing has changed,” he said.

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Union leaders further argued that the Railways depends heavily on parcel and freight earnings to support passenger services through cross-subsidisation. They warned that neglecting the welfare and basic rights of parcel workers could affect the future expansion of the Railways’ parcel business.